Steven Knope, MD

Dr. Knope is a board-certified internist and sports medicine expert. He
completed his premedical studies at Columbia University and graduated
with honors in internal medicine from Cornell University Medical College
in 1988. He completed his residency training at UCLA, where he was
awarded the first Sherman Melinkoff Teacher of the Year Award. He has
served as Chief of Medicine, Chairman of the Department of Medicine, and
Director of the ICU in the Carondelet system in Tucson, Arizona. He is a
pioneer in the field of concierge medicine, opening one of the first
concierge practices in America in December 2000. He authored the first
book on concierge medicine entitled, Concierge Medicine; A New System to Get the Best Healthcare (Praeger, 2008).

Knope has received local and national media attention
for his work as an uncompromising patient advocate and opponent of the
HMO industry. He has been covered in the Arizona Daily Star, Money magazine and The Wall Street Journal.
In his fight against a local HMO, Nobel Peace Prize Laureate and
inventor of the cardiac defibrillator, Dr. Bernard Lown, praised Knope
as “courageous” and “deeply principled.”

Knope has served as the official internist for the
Colorado Rockies baseball team during their spring training in Tucson
and has been a member of the editorial board of The American College of
Sports Medicine’s Health & Fitness Journal. He is a highly regarded national speaker on the subjects of obesity, fitness and exercise.

Before entering the field of medicine, Knope was a
professional French horn player who performed extensively in New York
and Europe, including performances as a featured soloist at Lincoln
Center and on New York radio station WNYC. He earned his Bachelor’s of
Music from the Mannes College of Music in New York.

Knope practices the lifestyle that he preaches. He is a
four-time Ironman triathlete. The Ironman is composed of a 2.4-mile
open-water swim, a 112-mile bike ride and 26.2-mile marathon. In January
2000, Knope published his first book, The Body/Mind Connection,
a groundbreaking book that examines the power of physical strength and
the positive impact a strong body can have on our overall health and
psychological well being. Knope is a practicing martial artist and holds
a 3rd degree black belt in Kenpo Karate. He has competed in
international martial arts tournaments in Europe and studied for a
decade with Master Gilbert Velez, a 9th degree black belt and senior
instructor of the International Kenpo Karate Association.

Concierge medicine, retainer medicine, direct medicine and boutique
medicine are all terms used to describe a new form of medical service in
which patients contract directly with their doctor for medical
services. By removing the third-party payer, your physician acts as your
advocate, with no interference or conflict of interest from outside
parties.

Dr. Knope is the author of two groundbreaking books and numerous op/ed pieces on medicine and our healthcare system. His work has been featured in The New York Times and The Wallstreet Journal, and has appeared as a panelist on Fox News and PBS. Click here for links to articles and to read excerpts from his book, Concierge Medicine: A New System to Get the Best Healthcare.